King Drongo

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King Drongo
King Drongo

King Drongo

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Corvoidea
Family : Dicruridae
Genre : Drongos ( Dicrurus )
Type : King Drongo
Scientific name
Dicrurus macrocercus
Vieillot , 1817

The King Drongo ( Dicrurus macrocercus ) is a species of bird from the Drongos family .

In the past, the species was often viewed as conspecific with the weeping drongo ( Dicrurus adsimilis ).

Distribution area of ​​the king drongo

The bird occurs in South Asia from Iran via India and Sri Lanka to South China and Indonesia .

The distribution area includes open habitats , arable land with individual trees, also villages and suburbs up to 1500 m height.

description

The king drongo is on average 28 (males) or 27 cm (females) tall, it is shiny black with a long, deeply forked tail, which can be lost during the moult. The sexes do not differ. The underside is glossy blue-black, the beak gray-black with clear beak bristles, the iris is dark brown in contrast to the gray drongo . The small white spot below the eye is characteristic. Fledglings have a black underside with strong light-colored borders, and can be confused with the gray-chest drongo .

Call of the King Drongo

voice

The call of the male is described as strong and brusque, quite loud at the beginning of the breeding season, similar to the call of the Schikrasperber .

Geographic variation

The following subspecies are recognized:

  • "D. m. Albirictus" ( Hodgson , 1836) - Himalayas from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Myanmar and southern China, India (south to Gujarat , Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal ); Winter visitor in southern India, Myanmar and northern Thailand
  • "D. m. Macrocercus" Vieillot 1817, nominate form - Southeast Pakistan and Indian Peninsula south of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal
  • "D. m. Minor" Blyth , 1850 - Sri Lanka including Mannar
  • "D. m. Cathoecus" Swinhoe , 1871 - China (east of Qinghai , south of Jilin including Hainan ), Myanmar, northern Thailand, and northern Indochina; Winter visitor in Myanmar, Malay Peninsula and southern Indochina
  • "D. m. Thai" Kloss , 1921 - South of Myanmar ( Tenasserim ), Thailand, probably also Cambodia and South Indochina
  • "D. m. Harterti" ECS Baker , 1918 - Taiwan
  • "D. m. Javanus" Kloss , 1921 - Java and Bali

Way of life

The diet consists mainly of insects , often field pests including locusts , grasshoppers and crickets , grasshoppers and beetles , but also nectar and occasionally small birds.

The breeding season is between March and June in Pakistan, March and August in India. The nest is laid out on the extreme end of a branch at a height of 4–10 m, like in large, free-standing trees. 3–5 whitish eggs with brownish red spots are laid, rearing is carried out by both sexes.

Birds from the north winter in the south, the others are resident birds . The King Drongo can often be found on telephone lines or near grazing animals. He hunts from sitting, the prey is transported with his claws and torn up, rides on the back of cows, is lured by bush and forest fires.

Hazardous situation

The stock is not considered to be at risk ( least concern ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Königsdrongo , in Avibase - The World Bird Database
  2. ↑ a b c d e Handbook of the Birds of the World
  3. ↑ a b R. Grimmett, T. Inskipp: Birds of Northern India. Helm Field Guides, 2017, ISBN 978-0-7136-5167-6 .
  4. ↑ EAA Shukkur, KJ Joseph: Breeding biology of the Black Drongo. In: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Vol. 75, No. 4, Bombay 1978, pp. 1212-1226.
  5. ^ A b c S. Ali: The Book of Indian Birds. 13th edition. Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford university Press, 2002, ISBN 0-19-566523-6 .
  6. ↑ Orioles, drongos, fantails
  7. ↑ Redlist

Web links

Commons : King Drongo ( Dicrurus macrocercus )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files